


A Known Enemy

by emilycare



Category: Timeless (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Drama, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-17
Updated: 2017-11-17
Packaged: 2019-02-03 11:57:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12747834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emilycare/pseuds/emilycare
Summary: Just weeks after the Timeless S1 finale, Lucy and the Time Team pursue Emma. They follow her to the Battle of Borodino, a turning point in Napoleon's disastrous invasion of Russia. Lucy and Emma end up captured together. Cut off from all help these former enemies bond. { For the Timeless Big Bang! Lemma & Lyatt/Wucy. } PLEASE NOTE: Romance between Emma & Lucy, also Lucy & Wyatt!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> At last, it's the Timeless Big Bang! Hope you enjoy the Time Team's angst filled romp with Emma, and the amazing art by olivaraofrph! Lucy has her hand full trying to handle her feelings for Wyatt and having Emma get a little closer than she ever would have dreamed. Enjoy the wucy fluff and lemma steamy bits, and all the terrible "never invade Asian in Winter" angst that comes with the end of the Napoleonic wars! Thanks so much to idatheactivist, olivaraofrph and something-in-the-way-she-knows for making this all come together. And to all the writers and editors/artists for creating the TBB and its explosion of Timeless drama and beauty. With gratitude to my dear fanfic collaborator Alodis for help brainstorming the premise for this story.

"It is better to have a known enemy than a forced ally."

_- **Napoleon Bonaparte**_

* * *

The cold sank deep into Lucy's bones. She pulled the fur collar of her coat tighter around her neck. It was only the beginning of September, but here in Russia it was still below freezing by midday. Lucy was dreading the nights.

"How long do you think this will take, Wyatt?" Lucy asked quietly.

Wyatt kept his eyes on the road nearby. Every so often a blue jacketed soldier drifted near them and Wyatt's grip tightened on his gun. So far they had not caught anyone's attention but they all knew this couldn't last.

He gave Lucy a quick glance. She saw him frown, taking in her shudder from the cold. She clamped her mouth shut, trying to stop her teeth from chattering. Rufus, sheltered from view by both of their bodies, took a moment to put his hands inside his jacket to warm them.

Wyatt shifted closer to Lucy. She found herself inadvertantly putting her face against his shoulder, grateful for his presence and warmth. He didn't seem to mind, and spared her a quick glance and smile.

Wyatt's uniform was torn from where he'd struggled with the the guard who nearly caught them entering the camp. The gold braid on his uniform tickled her nose, but the solid shoulder beneath it seemed to transfer some of his strength to her. She needed every iota of it. It had been a couple of weeks now, since the world had turned upside down once more for Lucy Preston. Her mother was Rittenhouse. Flynn was in jail, but Emma Whitmore was at large-a covert agent of Rittenhouse now wreaking havoc, leaving bodies in her wake.

It was Rufus that answered Lucy's question. "Well, my part will be done in fifteen minutes, maybe half an hour. As far as the whole plan..."

Wyatt looked uncomfortable. "That depends on Emma I think. If we can intercept her quickly, we should be gone in a day or so."

Lucy looked out on the town. The city of Borodino was Napoleon's target, and from there on to Moscow and certain death for hundreds of thousands of his men. She shook her head at the task before them. To discover what Emma was up to, take on one of the most effective military minds in history, and perhaps have to lead to the enactment of a devastating loss of life and property.  _This job,_  Lucy thought,  _who needs it?_

She looked out at the snow-covered Russian streets before her. Napoleon's troops had "requisitioned" houses and were essentially occupying the village. Rows of tents were propped up, their flags waving. She tried to imagine the endless ranks that would have been the Grande Armée before its reduction to this point. Just a third of the original 600,000 remained, but the over 200,000 troops from France, Poland, Bavaria and Austria still represented the finest and largest fighting force in Europe.

She tried to sort the information about the Russian army and the coming conflict out from the lectures she'd received during her training. Dr. Herling the Russian specialist that she'd studied under had been religious about the importance of the performance of the Russian army. She'd read  _War and Peace_  for the first time during that class. Tolstoy's perspective on Napolon's war on Russian, as well as the concept of war itself, had seeped into her world view. The various layers of speculation that put one element above the other in the win that lost Napoleon Russia and the Empire whirled in her mind.  _Well, now I get to see for myself._

"Got it!" Rufus cried out suddenly. The others shushed him. He went on in a whisper. "Okay, based on the research Mason, Jiya and I did, we should be able to track down the Mothership." He held up a dark object that resembled a remote control. A small green light blinked solemnly at them.

Wyatt took it from Rufus' hand. "So you've got it tuned now? It won't point us at the Lifeboat again?"

Rufus glared at him. "I told you already that I've compensated for that. That's why we're out here freezing our butts off and risking discovery being so exposed. It's so sensitive I couldn't tune this inside any structure. The two time machines have the same signature, except for the power source. Now it will be looking for the base profile but in addition it will search for the radiation emissions from the Christy Pitt at the heart of the Mothership."

Lucy looked a bit ill at the mention of the nuclear core powering the larger time machine. She gave Wyatt a hard look. "And we can't convince you that we should do this together?"

He gave a glance over the camps in the same direction Lucy had been looking moments before. To her surprise, he turned to them both and said, "Let's go over this one more time, to make sure we aren't missing something. I'm not crazy about splitting up from the two of you either, but I can't see how we can do it all together and get the job done in the time we have."

They both nodded at him. Rufus said, "Let's get somewhere under cover, now that the Tricorder is tuned."

As they walked back to the tent they'd been using as their home base Lucy smiled at Rufus and asked, "Tricorder? Isn't that from the forbidden Star Trek?"

Rufus smiled ruefully, "Well, that's what Jiya called it, and I have to hand it to her. It kinda is. We might even be able to adapt it to be able to do some of the cool shit they check for on Trek. I mean, we pretty much know we'll be landing on an M-type planet, but..."

Wyatt laughed and punched Rufus in the shoulder. "Hey, now that you're sleeping with the enemy, you've gone over whole-sale, huh?" Rufus tried to glare at Wyatt but the sheepish smile he couldn't hide ruined the stern effect he was going for.

As they entered the tent, Lucy put her arm around Rufus affectionately, "You miss her don't you?" She rubbed her arm up and down his sleeve and was appreciative when he returned the favor by putting his arm around her as well.

"Every time," he breathed. He looked at Lucy steadily, all humor gone from his voice now. "You know most of all what I'm dreading. Something we'll do will throw us all of kilter. I'll get home and she'll not work for Mason Industries, have forgotten who I am, be with someone else..." He trailed off. Lucy had no answers, so just wordlessly nodded and hugged him tighter.

Wyatt started going through his ammunition and checked the artillery they'd "liberated" from the camp stores. He'd been doing some training with the local re-enactors back in their own time. ("Now who's full of sweat and loneliness?" Lucy had quipped. She was still a little unsettled by the fact that he had no ready answer for her, just smiled and shook his head.) He had gained a good working knowledge of single shot, gun-powder feed armaments. As he methodically went through the hardware, he watched his team mates lend each other warmth. Lucy thought she saw a gleam of envy in Wyatt's eyes, but if so it was tamped down quickly when he saw her looking at him.

He gave Rufus and Lucy one of his cocky grins. "You two cozy? Lucy, how about you give us a rundown of the timeline again?"

Lucy took a deep breath. Rufus' warmth was helping her body level out and reach a steady temperature.  _Men and their high core body temperatures_ , she thought, not able to suppress another glance at Wyatt. She gathered her thoughts and began the litany: "Today is September 2, 1812. Napoleon is traveling towards Moscow after a victorious battle at Smolensk in late August. The cost was great, but the French army still outnumbers the Russians. But that margin is getting slimmer, and what Napoleon doesn't realize is that if he doesn't smash the Russian army at Borodino, where we're heading now, he'll never recover and the tattered remains of his original 600,000 person force will have to limp home to France in the dead of winter."

Lucy shuddered from dread, rather than the cold now. As she paused, she listened and the sound of bullets clinking and the quiet chatter of Rufus' teeth gave way to the sound of men marching and the raised voices of commanders in the distance.

She looked over at Wyatt. "The Russians have chosen their positions along the Moskva River and tomorrow will start building various fortifications. Napoleon will continue his men on the march, leaving the Imperial Guard behind in reserve. The battle begins on the 7th, Napoleon pushes back the Russians, but they hold what is called the Raevsky Redoubt. France will overtake it by the end of the battle, but it doesn't matter. By not committing all his troops, and allowing the Russians to retreat Napoleon signs his own death warrant. The war goes on, but it's this battle that decisively loses it for him. In a week he'll have taken Moscow, but it will be abandoned by the Russians leaving nothing, no food, no arms for them to sieze. "

Rufus gestured to the troops in the distance. "So they're all just dead men walking?"

"Yup. But not if Emma has her way. And then the face of modern Europe will be irrevocably altered. Possibly the development of modern democracy as well."

"That's where we come in." Wyatt had finished his work and began bundling everything up in his leather satchel. Lucy, realizing he was making ready for his solo mission. She stood up from Rufus' warmth and approached Wyatt.

"Hey, I thought we were talking this out?" she asked.

He gave her another wry smile, still working on gathering his things. "I'm listening. Make my day and convince me this can go down some other way."

Lucy shook her hands and glanced over at Rufus for support. "Okay, what's our objective? You're heading out with the Tricorder to find the Mother Ship. Rufus and I will try to find Emma and catch her, or derail whatever she has planned for changing the course of history."

Rufus added, "We know Karl is out there, and at least two other goons that Emma's hired."

Wyatt finished up with the modern day weapons and moved on to those from the period. "Yup. That's what makes me nervous about this all. We just don't know if they'll be out playing interference with Emma, or keeping an eye on the ship."

"If we find Emma together, then we'll be able to face whatever fire power she has together," said Lucy.

Rufus said, "But..." Lucy gave him a hard stare. "If we do what Wyatt's proposing: you and I distract Emma and her crew, if Wyatt finds the Mothership, then we can cut them off once for all. I think it's worth the risk, Lucy..." He wilted under the hard glare her look turned into.

"But what does Wyatt do with it once he finds it? He can't make the jump himself!"

"Yeah, I've wondered if I should go with Wyatt," mused Rufus.

"No." Wyatt cut in. "I feel bad enough about putting you both in harms way by not being with you, but to leave Lucy, either of you alone? No way." He had finished with the bundle.

"Wyatt, that's why we should stay together! You shouldn't be alone either."

"Lucy, you said it yourself. We don't have much time and a lot is riding on whatever Emma does. Hey," he came up to Lucy as she turned away from the men. "Lucy, look at it this way, I can cover the most ground most quickly. I'll be back with the two of you in no time." He put a hand out, but pulled it back, unseen by her. "I'm just scouting. If I'm caught alone, I'll pass as a German soldier, and I've got the best chance of both fitting in and making speed to figure out where the ship is. I need you both to focus on your mission. I'll do mine and then together, we can maybe finally end this."

Lucy turned back to him and nodded. "Wyatt, just...just be careful."

Wyatt had placed one of the tall, flat black hats of the Grand Armee on his head. It shoud have looked ridiculous, but somehow Wyatt could pull off any hat. His beauty in it tugged at Lucy's heart. He tipped the hat to her and gave a smile answering her, pulling her out of her revery, "Of course, ma'am. As always."

Wyatt handed Rufus one of the rifles along with ammunition and supplies. He gave small hand-guns to both Lucy and Rufus. "So we'd all best be on our guards."

Wyatt got a few final tips from Rufus on using the "tricorder." He double checked with each of them that they understood how to use and re-load their weapons. Then there was nothing left but to part.

As he stepped out of the tent, Lucy couldn't stop herself from following him. "Luce, it's getting late, you should keep to the shelter."

"Wyatt, thanks. And don't do anything heroic. We want you to come back in one piece."

He turned to her. "Of course. It'll slow the mission down."

She punched downward into air. "That's not what I meant. I don't want anything to happen to you."

He stepped toward her, into her personal space. It was the first time they'd been alone and this close since the day they caught Flynn. His eyes were on hers, his expression serious. "Lucy, I want this to end. For you. I can't go on seeing you tortured by what these jerks are doing to your life. I.." She never knew what he was going to say because suddenly his lips were on hers. She clung to him, and when he broke away, she looked up at him, eyes huge. She said breathlessly, "Be safe for me."

His hand on her neck still, his fingers stroking the nape of her hair, he whispered, "And you for me." After several long moments he stepped back, looking at her with intense eyes. Then he turned, walked off and disappeared from her view.

Rufus put his arm out for Lucy when she walked back in looking shellshocked. "Well, it had to happen some time. Bring it in, girl."

* * *

They found covers as servants in support for Napoleon's army. Lucy's French was fluent but her accent was outlandish sounding. She kept quiet and worked hard on picking up the intonation and casual phrasing of the era. Rufus had a harder problem since unless he was Irish, there was no good reason for an English speaker to be among them. His skin color in this place and time was unusual but not unknown. They'd discussed the options back in San Francisco and settled on a back story of him having joined the entourage during the Egyptian campaign. Lucy worked with Rufus to learn a handful of french phrases and no one would expect him to speak more. Together they joined the wives, prostitutes, cooks, smiths and butchers that traveled with the soldiers.

Lucy had impressed upon the others the dire state of affairs that the Grande Armée would eventually succumb to, so they were relatively surprised to have stores of food still available, flocks of chickens travelling with the wagon train. There was a suspicious lack of live stock however. "The locals hide them in the woods so there is nothing for the army to seize," Lucy shared. The desperation that would send the men to eating their horses would descend in full force during their retreat from Russia. Another reason they needed to press on and make progress now at all costs.

Integrating themselves into the ranks of servants they were able to see the principals of the army. Lucy preparing chicken found herself delivering it to Napoleon's table himself. And there, she saw Emma dressed in green silk, the color vibrant against her red hair. Lucy kept her eyes down and her mouth shut. She thought she had evaded the other woman's notice, but as she left the tent, she found a firm hand on her arm.

"You know you can't win, right Preston? I've got centuries of history on my side."

Lucy pulled her arm away and took a step back. Mentally taking stock of where her gun was, she glanced about looking for Karl and the other soldiers. For now she saw no one. She kept her distance, but saw an opportunity she'd been looking for:

"Emma, I know it must feel that way. You're from a Rittenhouse family? I am, too. But I've seen people escape. I've helped people get out of their grip. Whatever they've told you it isn't true. You know what you're doing is wrong. Let's work together, and bring them the rest of the way down."

Emma smiled at Lucy. "Poor deluded girl. It's easy to think that way when you don't know the half of it, like you do now. But there's no point in opposing them. Best to embrace it, and enjoy it. Look what we can do. Lucy," Emma stepped closer, spoke conspiratorially, "you never believed Flynn, but now you must believe me. Your Mother is one of us, you are one of us—you have a destiny. And it is glorious." Emma put a strangely gentle hand on Lucy's cheek. "I don't want to hurt you, or the others, but you're standing in the way of fate and I'll do what I have to do." Emma tried to grab Lucy again, but the younger woman had already pulled out her weapon.

"I don't want to hurt you either, Emma. But this has to stop somewhere." At that moment, the general who Emma was attending to called for her. The table's attention shifted to them and Lucy scrambled to hide the pistol and stumble out of the tent. Emma gave her one last glance and mouthed, "This is not over."


	2. Chapter 2

Wyatt's first stop on his search was a on the tip of high ground to the west of the encampment. The glowing green light flickered more slowly as he traveled there, telling him he moved farther from the Mother Ship. But once he reached it, the town and troops spilled out before him like a map. He could see the area where Rufus and Lucy were sheltered. He spent moments staring uselessly trying to get a glimpse of movement that would tell him they were okay. Then he dragged his eyes away to drink in the rest of the pattern of the camp.

Memorizing what he saw he took quick notes on a scrap of paper he'd taken for the purpose. From this distance, the tricorder gave him no indication which way was more promising than the other, so he sketched out a path for himself that would skirt the highest concentration of troops, but take him past likely areas to hide the time machine. His course would eventually give him roughly even coverage of the entire area. He identified a few spots where he thought he might make a go of sheltering for the night if need be. Sparing a moment, he rested and ate some food he'd taken for the scouting trip. He kept his eyes open but in his mind he relived that kiss with Lucy.  _If we can just end this here, Lucy, I want to see what those possibilities with you might be._

* * *

The temperature in the kitchen tents tipped right past warm to hellishly hot. Putting more wood in the fire, Lucy felt grateful for the break from the bone-crushing cold, but loosened buttons at her neck and wiped sweat from her brow.  _Out of the icebox and into the fire._ Rufus entered the tent carrying a load of wood. He made eye contact with Lucy as he dropped the bundle and shook his head. It had been twenty four hours since they'd seen Wyatt last. No sign of him since. Lucy worked to calm her heart and focus on the task at hand. Only two more days before the battle was joined.

She finished basting the poultry spitted over the fire. She took a basket of potatoes to the work area and set it down in a spot close to the wood pile where Rufus stacked the fuel he'd lugged in. Under cover of directing him Lucy conferred with her team mate in hushed tones.

"Have you seen Karl?"

Rufus nodded. "I saw him and one other outside the General's tent where Emma has been staying."

"You kept your distance?"

"You know it. Lucy, what is your plan to get close to Napoleon?"

Lucy picked up a knife and started skinning the potatoes. "I won't need to. I'll unmask her as a spy to his quartermaster. The lower profile we keep, the better. And the sooner this will be over."

"I'm with you there." Lucy nodded but her face was taut and tense, her mind on Wyatt.

Rufus put his hand on her arm. "Lucy, he'll be all right." She looked at him and gave him a small smile.

Throughout that day Lucy and Rufus worked like dogs to feed and support the French and allied troops. When they could take breaks they conversed about how to establish Emma's guilt as a spy.

Rufus saw an opportunity late in the day and took it. Emma, Karl and Hammond, a new recruit, left the General's tent together. Rufus had "conveniently" taken on the duty of removing slop water and privy jars. Tensely he searched through the tent. Paydirt. There was a pile of letters and maps on a folding leather table beside the rope bed with it's feather ticks and straw mattress. Taking a look through the materials, he picked two that seemed the most important, a letter that seemed to be signed by Napoleon himself and a map covered with arrows and notations that Rufus was willing to bet were related to supply lines and troop movements. He took them and placed them in a chest filled with Emma's things. His hands shaking he grabbed the bucket and left as swiftly as he could.

He stumbled through the deepening darkness, but paused as he heard the sound of voices conversing in English.

Rufus heard Karl say, "Emma, is he listening to you?"

"I've convinced the General, but Napoleon is another matter all together. I've got to get him alone."

"What will that do? Why should he listen to you?"

Rufus pulled closer to the tent's wall to hear her reply.

"He's got a weakness I can exploit. His superstitious beliefs. And this time it will be right. He really can thank his lucky star if he listens to me."

"So she said something about his 'lucky star,'" said Lucy when Rufus let her know what had gone down. "Perfect! Rufus, you're a prince." She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.

He rubbed his cheek with his mittened fist. "So that's good news? Didn't sound that good to me. She thinks she's got a lock."

Lucy pulled the pile of quilted blankets back over them. After just a few hours in this cold, they'd pulled their bedrolls together that first night. ("You won't tell Jiya about this will you?" "Please. Jiya will just be glad that we didn't let you freeze to death. But what will Wyatt do...?" "He's been through worse, Lucy.")

"Yes, but I believe that she's working with false premises. There are conflicting schools of thought about Napoleon. There is a tremendous tradition surrounding his superstitions, following his lucky star, fears about Josephine, and so on. But it's also quite likely that none of it is true. They may be mythologies that sprang up after his defeat. He may even have encouraged these ideas to circulate for his own reasons."

"Well, that's promising. I'm glad it was all worth it."

"With what you did, I'm sure we'll be able to destroy her legitimacy."

"We'd better hope that is enough."

* * *

The next day, Lucy and Rufus both took the places of servers. Lucy had made friends with a Annette, a pregnant worker, getting close to her time. Annette was still expected to wait tables for the generals. She gratefully let Lucy take her place. Rufus had been ingratiating himself with several of the other servants and had learned enough pidgin French to be able to offer his services where it would suit them to have him be. But this morning their luck with respect to the other time travellers finally ran out.

"This one will do." Lucy heard Emma's voice curl around those syllables. She laid a platter down on the table. Turning slowly towards the sound of her voice, Lucy took in the situation. Emma was perched on the lap of General Montbrun, a charming cavalry man who was a favorite all around. He, Lanabère and Tharreau, two more of Napoleons' officers had gathered and were looking at Lucy. The predatory looks of the men alarmed Lucy, but Emma had a twinkle in her eye. Lucy approached them and gave a curtsey appropriate to her station. She answered. "I'm at your service, madam."

Emma stood, her lover pinching her full bottom for her trouble. Emma faced Lucy wearing such a look of such fury that Lucy was scared, until she realized it was not meant for her, but for the man whose lap Emma had left. Emma's hair was put up in graceful curls, the curve of her pale breasts visible above the high waist of the pale blue silk dress she wore today. She hid her face coquettishly with a blue silk fan that matched her gown. Lucy noticed idly that the wiry arm holding the fan her was dusted with ginger freckles. They were barely visible, hidden by a layer of powder.

Emma folded the fan and pointed with it at Lucy. "You'll be my new maid. You should be grateful to get out of the kitchen, girl."

Lucy caught Rufus' eye as he came back towards the table. She shook her head slightly and he retreated. But too late, Karl had seen him. Rufus was lost from Lucy's vision and she focused once more on Emma's strange overture. The fan extended was to shepherd Lucy in the direction of her choice. Gripped in her other hand, Lucy saw a pistol. Small but still deadly for all that, and viciously out of period. Emma lead the way back to her tent. Lucy recognized it from Rufus' description. She gulped trying to improvise changes in the plan that would allow them to still carry through.

Before they reached the tent, Hammond came into sight, breathing heavily. "We've found one of the others. Still no sign of the soldier."

"Did you catch Rufus then? He can't get too far."

"Tomas has got him cornered. It won't be long." Lucy gasped despite herself.

Emma smiled. "Don't worry, Lucy. You never had a chance." As Hammond left to rejoin Karl, Emma opened the chest Rufus had stashed the map and letters in. "You tipped your hand trying to frame me. I'm going to enjoy finally putting an end to this cat and mouse game."

Lucy saw her window of opportunity closing. "Emma I understand where you're coming from. I'm in the same boat. But we can work together and free ourselves. What did you want to do with your life? What do you want to do? It doesn't have to be this!"

"It's too late, Lucy. You'll understand soon enough."

A cry went up far in the camp. Gunshots were fired. Emma kept her gun pointed at Lucy. "Don't get any ideas." Suddenly General Montbrun and his attendants rushed into the tent calling for help. Karl and Hammond seized their swords and fire arms. Lucy saw her chance.

"General Montbrun, she is a traitor! Look!" Lucy put her hand on Emma's that held the gun, shoving past her to dive towards the chest that held the stolen papers. Not able to grab them, Lucy made do with tipping the chest over, spilling silk, linens and papers everywhere.

Emma cried, "Don't believe her! She and her conspirators have placed those there. She's trying to frame me, but she is the real spy!" Emma tried to hide her gun, but Lucy instead wrestled her for it, pulling the pistol back into view.

"She was planning to kill the Emperor!" improvized Lucy.

"Madness!" hissed Emma. "A woman must protect herself."

A circle had formed now around the two women twined around one another. Montbrun yelled, "Enough. Enough! I'll bring you both to the Emperor himself to sort this out. Bind their hands."

* * *

They were brought before Napoleon. Lucy prayed that Rufus had gotten away. There had been no further reports of him. She hoped that was good news.

The tent housing Napoleon was larger than the others, with more guards but not more grand in any other way. Guards stood by the golden eagles standards representing the companies present. Lucy caught herself dumbfound at being in the presence of them. Emma saw her look and couldn't contain the grin that slipped across her face.  _I know, right?_  she mouthed before the guards pushed her roughly forward. Getting a shoe caught on Emma's hem, Lucy heard a rip and realized she'd torn the other woman's dress.

They gathered before the massive table at the heart of the room. Off to the right was a private ready room with desk, area for ablutions and privy and racks of maps and communiques. Emma, examining the damage to her dress with a critical eye stood with poise. With just a dark look she dared the guards and they kept their distance. Lucy, overwhelmed and still casting about for some way out of this had no buffer of dignity to protect herself. The guard held her arm with cruel pressure.

"Explain yourself." A tall man with a ruddy complexion spoke. Lucy recognized him as Marshall Ney, the Grand Marshall of the army, called "the bravest of the brave" by Napoleon. Overwhelmed by the historical significance of the man, Lucy gave an awed glance to Emma. In response, the taller woman gave a smug smile. Then Emma moved to the center of the room and spoke loudly.

"Your excellency, I am known to these people. I am a known and trusted friend of the Emperor himself." She pointed at Lucy. "This miscreant is a spy for the Russians. She and her compatriots have framed me and thrown me into the path of danger." Lucy was jarred by the sudden switch.  _My enemy, not my colleague_ , she reminded herself.

The general brandished the papers. "These were found in your belongings. You would have us believe that this intelligence was placed there by someone else?"

Emma looked beyond. "I would request to make my plea to the emperor himself." There was a bit of a hubbub. Many people spoke at once affirming or contradicting her request. Ney called to another general, flashily dressed, who had moved to get Napoleon. Ney ordered him to remain. "No, Murat, this is not worthy of the emperor's time." Lucy couldn't repress her thought,  _Napoleon's brother-in-law!_

But then, a stirring happened in the private quarters. Several figures came out, followed by the stocky, dark Corsican Emperor himself. He was unamused. Emma stepped boldly forward nonetheless and genuflected to him.

"You know me. I can give you insight into the future. A bad star shines on your next steps."

The look he gave her should have tipped Emma off, but she was too cocky, too sure of herself and what she'd seen before. She launched into a spiel that captured the attention of all the men around her, throwing in some flirting for good measure with a touch to a soldier here, a smile to a general there.  _She's wasted on this work, she should have been a performer,_ Lucy thought. Emma argued for committing all their troops, and using this as a turning point to return from rather than Moscow.

As Emma spoke, Napoleon walked over to her. He put a hand on her arm and smiled. Lucy drew a breath thinking Emma had pulled it off, but then his smile turned into a frown and he said, "You peddle fear that can control little minds. But you should know, my dear Emma, that it is no small mind that created the empire. Stars, stars! I am my own north star, I make my own destiny! Your knowledge of our movements is too good. Clearly you are a spy. And those who aid you must be as well. Seize them!"he called out. Lucy hesitated, her argument with Emma and knowledge that she was at odds with her dimmed her awareness of the fact that as far as anyone else was concerned, she was Emma's handmaid. The tall soldier grabbed her cruelly and dragged her across the floor to where Emma was being similarly held. As they left the tent, Emma limped strongly. Lucy wondered,  _When was she hurt?_  But once they were clear of the lines the red haired woman leapt into action breaking free of her captor, grabbing his rifle and brandishing it at the other guards, her limp gone. Lucy saw Emma start backing away, leaving her behind. Lucy struggled to pull out her own pistol in the distraction caused by Emma's flight. But before she could raise it to gain leverage, a man came up behind Emma.

"Watch out!" Lucy called, giving up her own moment of advantage. Ney himself grabbed Lucy's hand and they wrestled for long moments. She heard Emma cry out and looked over to find the woman surrounded by soldiers all pointing their bayonets at her. As Ney gained the upper hand in their struggle, Lucy conceded, hoping they would take her surrender as a cue to not harm either of the women. Lucy stumbled in the direction she was taken now and was treated to Emma glaring at her.

"This is all your fault," spat out Emma. Lucy looked down at the ground, following her captors and trying to formulate a plan.  _Where are you Rufus? Wyatt?_


	3. Chapter 3

The men put Emma and Lucy in what at first looked like a shed. It was locked from the outside. Emma stalked about in the half-light pushing at the door. Lucy examined the walls and roof to see if there was an obvious line of escape, but this room had been well built. Lucy looked around for amenities and came up short.

She smirked, "They didn't even leave us a pot to piss in."

"All well and good you're making jokes. This not only threatens my plans, it threatens our lives," said Emma.

Lucy quirked a brow, "We've got a lot of allies out there. It's not going to take them long to figure out where we are and get us out of here."

The two of them heard shots fired. Lucy heard Rufus cry out, "Lucy!" "Rufus!" And blessedly, Lucy heard Wyatt's voice, suspiciously raspy. "Lucy, we're gonna get you out of there! Stand away from the door."

More shots were fired. Emma and Lucy took what cover they could in the bare room. But just as the door opened, and Lucy saw her team outside, a horn was sounded and a troop of blue-uniformed soldiers came their way, with Karl and Hammond in their midst. Rufus and Wyatt were swept away. Emma and Lucy were dragged off and given a new place of imprisonment.

* * *

They were locked in the dark for an unknown span of time. They found themselves in a small shelter, once a family's tiny home with loft, living room and kitchen area. Given food and water once but nothing else, with no fuel for the fire, the suspense and tedium were as painful as the cold and hunger. They relieved themselves in a corner of the hovel. Lucy said a silent apology to the poor peasants whose room she was defiling.

Emma kept a stubborn silence until dawn. Lucy tried first to talk with her about their predicament, then went on to trying to bond over their pasts, historical knowledge and even just her experiences as a woman. Emma rewarded her with a cat-like glare until the light disappeared, then maintained her wordless silence through the morning.

Emma took the loft, a small balcony with a narrow wooden bed. Lucy folded herself up onto the floor with a rug beneath her. Her thoughts running to Rufus and Wyatt, trying to make sense of what she'd seen in those brief moments. She hugged the certainty that Wyatt had made it back to Rufus safely to herself.

She woke half way through the night with teeth chattering and dreaming of the tundra. The ground beneath her had stolen all her body heat. She climbed onto a hard bench, feeling cold in her heavy coat in the unfathomable chill of a Russian night. She grabbed the rug and pulled it around herself. Finally warming she collapsed back into a fitful sleep.

In the morning light she saw Emma standing by the doorway. Again checking every crack, every possibility of escape.

"Haven't we been through this already?" said Lucy tiredly out of reflex. She'd become so accustomed to the other woman's silence that she was surprised when Emma responded.

"We've made it through the night, and I haven't heard any calls for a firing squad." Lucy blanched. "But I'm not interested in learning why." They were in a new place now, the time team wouldn't know where she was and in the dark of night she doubted the would have been able to search effectively. _Find the Mothership, guys!_  she thought.

Once dawn hit the day was full of activity outside. Drilling, movement of troops, commands and cries filled the air. "The cook will be missing us," said Lucy.

"The general will have slept cold last night," said Emma. She spat out a curse. "Never should have trusted him.

"To be fair, you were deceiving them," Lucy couldn't help but offer.

"To save their lives and their blasted Empire! They should be grateful for our attention."

"'Our?' You mean Rittenhouse? It must be strange to think that people don't want their lives arranged for them. To think that free will is important to some of these ants scurrying about."

Emma looked directly at Lucy. She stepped close enough that Lucy could she how the other woman shook with cold.  _How did she make it through last night?_ thought Lucy.

"That's exactly right. It is strange. Napoleon is taking his troops, and his hope of Empire and running them through a meat grinder. He should listen to me. Their lives would be better if they could listen."

"Is that what Rittenhouse told the people whose lives were ruined by McCarthyism? How about the Cherokee who died along the Trail of Tears?"

"American history was born out of coercion, war and genocide. Rittenhouse didn't cause these ills, we've just focused them, to bring true prosperity to all."

Lucy felt ill herself at Emma's words. "So those lives lost, they are just worth it?"

Emma's eyes blazed. "Who are you to talk, Preston? Your lofty goal of defending history consigns hundreds of thousands to death. Your hands are as dirty as mine ever will be."

* * *

They were fed scraps and slop at midday. Lucy ate the potato shreds and dirty water with disdain. Emma said, "Just wait until the food runs out for the soldiers." They sat grimly awaiting their fate both lost in their own memories and plans.

Not long after their meal, their door banged open. Lucy's heart was in her throat, hoping for a friendly face. But it was strangers, soldiers who took them and dragged them out of their shelter. Leaving the dark room, Lucy suddenly was hit with a pang of nostalgia for the uncomfortable shelter.  _Watch it girl, that's how Stockholm Syndrome starts._

"Where are you taking us?" cried Lucy. She raised her voice hoping to betray their presence if her team had found them and were waiting in the background. After Emma's performance the night before, there were four men seeing her to their destination and two guarding Lucy. The men swore at them but gave no answer. As they traveled, Lucy heard more cries of anguish and started to suspect what lay before them.

"I know that smell," said Emma. She bowed her head. They turned a corner around a building and saw before them the overflowing casualties tent. The two of them stopped their struggling, their hands now slack in the guards' grip.

"Dear gods," Lucy put her face in her hands. Emma shook her head in answer and strode towards the nearest wounded soldier. Lucy paced slowly after her her face going pale.

Emma stood next to the bed of a young man, probably 17 or 18 years old. He was still in his uniform, his breath shallow and quick. He reminded Lucy of one of her students who had been diligent in coming to her office hours, trying to ferret out extra credit or good angles for test taking.

Emma lifted a flap of his jacket and a deep wound was revealed. Blood soaked his clothes. As the boy gasped in pain, Lucy turned away. She covered her mouth with her hands and struggled to keep her composure. One of the doctors walked up beside them and ordered them to strip the soldier. Emma began doing so and gestured for Lucy to join her. Lucy walked to the bedside but stood there staring. Her stomach clenched. Her mind whirled with thoughts of her young student and this young man, and why anyone should give their life in this doomed bid for conquest.

The doctor said sharply, "Work! If you don't contribute we have no reason to keep you alive. You are spies, worthless and lives forfeit. But we are short-handed. If you prove useful, you may live your lives in prison, instead of ending up in a hole in the ground tomorrow."

Lucy looked at him grimly. She nodded and pulled up her sleeves, and looked around for a place to clean her hands. Emma joined her.

"This is going to be a problem, Preston?"

"Not a problem." Lucy said. It was going to be a long, night.

* * *

Ten hours, or perhaps a century later, Lucy slumped down onto an upside down bucket. They had used that bucket through out the day to bring water boiled in pots from the kitchen to clean the wounds of the unending flood of men that had descended upon them.

Lucy and Emma had triaged the patients, Emma taking those with pulsing wounds. Lucy had spent countless hours working with young men with frost bite and fever. She lugged water to and fro as Emma cleaned the men. When they could, they sneaked alcohol in to swab the wounds. But the doctors had no tolerance for this. Calling it a waste, and the women thieves when they caught them doing it.

At last the stream of bodies dwindled. As the light of day disappeared they bundled the last few wounds they could. The women closed the eyes on several men who would never see the light of day again.

They were escorted back to their prison for the night. Lucy sat heavily on her bench. Someone had left bread and moldy cheese on the table. Lucy began inhaling a piece, then realized there was just one bundle. She brought it over to Emma, tore the bread in half, and divided the cheese between them.

"Not even any dirty water this time." Lucy sat chewing, and thoughtlessly stared at the door.

"Waiting for tall, blue eyed and handsome to come get you?" Emma joked, but her voice quavered. Lucy realized that unlike herself, Emma had been imprisoned without her cloak. The taller woman's teeth were chattering.

"Emma, so that stoic attitude you copped last night was to keep me from knowing you were cold? Is that part of being the badass Rittenhouse chick? Can't stand letting a fellow historian know you need a little help?" Lucy moved closer to Emma, dragging the rug she'd used the night before behind her. Emma jerked her arm away, but Lucy knew better now.

"And yes, I am waiting for tall dark, handsome and very taken, as well as not so tall, blue eyed, god knows if his heart is available and oh so devastatingly handsome, to come save me. I'd even take your buddies: small, light and dangerous or massive, slow and terrifying right now, if they let us both out. But in the meantime you and I need to stay alive. And you need me and I need you for that, I'm pretty sure."

Lucy snugged the carpet around them both. She felt warmth bloom in her. She put an arm around Emma and was reminded of sleep over parties with her sister and friends. Emma's waist was warm. Lucy sighed, "Thank god we have imperial fashions which let us breath."

An unexpected sound came from Emma. She chuckled. "Whoever created the corset should be hanged."

* * *

Rufus and Wyatt spent the battle of Borodino riding the line between insubordination and cowardice—in the name of survival. Their abortive rescue attempt had been timed to coincide with the military movements. This allowed them to escape themselves by integrating with a unit on the march. But it also pointed them squarely  **towards**  the battle, rather than back in the direction of the Lifeboat or Mother Ship which Wyatt had located. Unable to leave the ranks, they faced the Russians down. The embankments were as Lucy had described. The slaughter, too.

They sighted Karl and Hammond among the soldiery. Wyatt and Rufus spent the day hiding from enemy as well as "friendly" fire from their foes.

At dusk, they saw an opportunity to break away. The battle was ended for the night and in the chaos of retreat by the Russians, they could leave their ranks. While catching a quick meal and considering their options, Wyatt overheard two Austrian soldiers near them trading stories about the "female spies."

"What? They haven't been shot?" one of them said.

"No, I hear they've been made to work. Something about saving lives they put in jeopardy."

"I hear the Emperor saw his lucky star."

"You would believe that."

"But it's true!"

Wyatt translated this for Rufus. "Lucy and Emma are alive! But they could be killed anytime as spies."

"If we keep with the army, we may lose our chance to capture the Mothership."

They looked at each other for a long moment. Then started packing up their things to follow the troops.


	4. Chapter 4

Lucy's head was so hot. In the darkness she felt a cool cloth placed on her forehead. She had visions of the wounded, dead and dying before her eyes. The lines of stretchers. The stank of blood and rotting flesh. The cold worked in their favor keeping insects away, though many of the illnesses were complicated by frostbite. The horrors Lucy now had seen. She closed her eyes but could not close her mind to them.

"Hey, there. Sh, sh, shhhh.." a woman's voice came to her.

She saw red hair through her slitted eyes. "Amy?" Emma chuckled.

"Guess again, 'sister.'"

Lucy tried to get up. Nearly knocking over the bowl of water beside her she wavered leaning on the edge of her bed, the room suddenly spinning around her. Squinting her eyes at Emma she saw the woman was pale. She looked leaner than when they had embarked on this madness. Her ginger freckles stood out against her pink scrubbed skin.

"Lay down!" Emma's tone was firm and she pushed gently on Lucy's shoulder with one hand. Lucy caved like a felled tree. The effort she had put in to raise her torso was more than she could maintain. "And quiet. I've kept you off Monsieur Alarie's radar, but you've got to help me out."

"What?"

Emma leaned down and spoke close to Lucy's ear. "They are threatened by the results we've been able to have on the soldiers. We're doing better than trained doctors to keep people alive. When you started looking ill, he looked pleased." Trying to follow, Lucy attempted to nod. Emma acknowledged her response.

"Preston, you've got to do your part. Fight this and get better. I'll hide you for as long as I can."

Lucy slipped into unconsciousness contemplating this turn of events.  _I owe you, Emma._

* * *

Wyatt and Rufus followed the Grande Armée on its travels. After a tussle with a sargeant who whipped on their fellow soldiers, they realized that they were going to be fodder like all the rest. No help to themselves or Lucy if they got killed. They watched for an opportunity. The right moment came when the camp followers were transported to follow the army. The glee of returning mates and bedmates made chaos rule. Wyatt and Rufus took advantage of the fact that they weren't actually part of any regiment. They took to the fields lining the roads that the Grand Armee traveled on. That night they slept in a barn close by to where the Main army encampment was, but were careful to avoid sentries and Russian townspeople alike.

"Hey, what about this whole scorched earth thing? Like why is there a barn here for us to sleep in?"

Wyatt shrugged. "Ask Lucy." He looked down with a pained expression on his face.

Rufus gave him a nudge. "Hey, we're gonna get her back. Look, we had given you for all but dead and you sauntered back looking like nothing had happened."

"Thanks a lot! That was just a couple days, this is much longer and who knows what they are making them do."

"Lucy's a strong woman. Way stronger than I would have guessed when I first met her. Who would have guessed those little wimpy arms that push pencils around and click power point remotes could take on Jesse James, and save Ulysses S. Grant."

Wyatt chuckled. "She is something, isn't she?"

"Plus," Rufus continued, "you  _just_  kissed her finally. We can't lose her now, huh?"

"Again." Wyatt said quietly.

"What? You two kissed before! You've been holding out, buddy!"

* * *

Lucy opened her eyes looking out into a limpid pool shaded by pine trees. Her head was cushioned by moss and pine needles. Her body felt light and she was warmer than she'd been in days. Sunlight glimmered in the depths of the pool. A blue sky glimpsed beyond an opening in the trees reflected in on the water's surface. A dark shape blocked the light. She looked up languidly and saw her team mate.

"Wyatt?" Lucy sat up, reaching her hands out to him across the pool, her heart beating faster with emotion, remembering his kiss. He stumbled forward with a pronounced limp. His French uniform was drenched with blood.  _His_ , she thought. Wyatt stepped into the pool, staggering. She grabbed his shoulders and guided him as he fell into her lap, splashing her.

"Lucy...we found it. We found the Mother Ship. We can save your sister now..." Holding his head, she began searching for his wounds. The cold of the water began to seep into her. Growing colder. She saw snowflakes fall on Wyatt's face as his eyes closed. She looked up and she was at the battlefield. Smoke rose, bugles sounded, the boom of guns surged. She cupped Wyatt's cheek, comforted by the warmth she felt there, but now watching blood pool on his chest.

"Lucy!" Rufus ran up to her. He knelt in the snow beside her, supporting himself with the butt of his gun.  _That Wyatt showed him how to use_ , she thought.

Rufus spoke wildly,"Lucy, let's get him to the doctors. We've got to save him!" He tried to take him from her arms.

"No." she said. Rufus ignored her and tugged harder. "No!" Lucy screamed. "No! No! They'll kill him!"

Rufus was gone and many rough hands parted Wyatt from her arms. She was thrown aside. Falling like a ragdoll onto a board and dirt floor like the ones she'd grown to know and dread in the camps. The rough board scraped her. The filthy mud striped her dress, stinking of bodily fluids and organic decay. Lucy felt something wet on her arm. Looking she saw blood dripping from a soldier onto her. Gripped with the need to know, she reached out to draw herself up to the edge of the bed. Before she could see his face, warm strong hand were on her shoulders.

"Rufus?" Lucy said, then she heard a woman's voice.

"Lucy, don't look. You can't look. I won't let you."

Emma was before her. Lucy struggled. "Let me to him. Wyatt!"

Emma held her fiercely. "No, Lucy. He's not here. Stop. Stop!"

Lucy kept struggling, "He found the Mother Ship! The tri-corder worked. But he's hurt..."

Emma threw water in her face, "Lucy!"

Lucy opened her eyes. Her body felt afire. Emma was holding her down. Someone else was holding her feet. Her clothes were drenched. The ropes of the cot dug into her back through the layers of cloth and straw.

"Yes. That's right. Lucy, you've got to listen to me. Hold on. The fever is peaking. Don't give up. But you must rest. Don't panic. You have to let me take care of you." Lucy relaxed and settled back onto the bed. Emma wiped Lucy's face, her expression severe. She directed someone out of Lucy's view to get more water. "Not that. The water we boiled." Lucy felt her grip on consciousness fray. She tried to lift her hand to Emma, to speak...

"Thank you."

Emma smiled. Lucy wondered why she had thought she was in the medical tents. Behind Emma's head she saw the blue sky again. Sunlight filtered through green leaves, illuminating them, lighting golden glints in Emma's auburn hair. Emma touched Lucy's cheek. "You drive me crazy, you know." And her lips were kissing Lucy's. Lucy felt her heart heave, she returned the kiss, putting her hands in Emma's hair. She breathed in her smell, that she'd come to know so well since that night they almost froze to death when they were first imprisoned. She felt Emma's hands on her shirt, unbuttoning her chemise, Lucy welcomed it, helping along...

"Stop it!" A hand batted at hers and Lucy woke to find herself gripping her own shirt with corpselike fingers. Emma glared at her and with ungentle force tore Lucy's hand from her own clothing. "You don't make anything easy, do you?" Lucy lay back and Emma continued stripping her. As Lucy woke more she felt the dampness of her clothes and understood what Emma was doing. She felt her own skin and wondered. It was clammy, but cooler than she remembered from any other time she'd awoken. Someone was sending a cooling breeze her way. She vaguely saw a flash of pale blue silk.  _The fan,_  she thought.

Emma said, "Your fever has broken. Finally. With any luck you'll be back up soon and we can start getting something done around here again." And for the barest moment, Lucy thought she saw a look of relief in Emma's eyes. She set aside the fan and began tucking the blankets around Lucy again and forcing a cup of water to her mouth.

"Drink. Rest. Feel better." said Emma.

Lucy said weakly, "Why are you helping me?"

Emma quirked a small smile at her. "I need your help to get through this. You may be an enemy, but you are one I know. You've got to survive."

Lucy tried to make sense of this, but she felt the tug of sleep pull at her. As she drifted off again she thought,  _I need you, too._


	5. Chapter 5

The army was on the march again. Lucy was feeling better, but she was still weak. Despite the lessened security they weren't able to take advantage of the opportunities and escape due to Lucy's condition. Emma had opportunities, but for some reason Lucy found that the other woman continued helping and caring for her as she recovered. Many of the wounded they had already cared for had died. Others lingered, needing endless, hopeless care that set off Lucy crying every day. The young men's faces... The ones who were unaware were those she felt the most relieved about.

Emma asked her about the "tri-corder." Lucy didn't remember mentioning it so tried to pass it off as delirious talk that meant nothing. Emma dropped it and didn't ask again.

The Grand Armée arrived in Moscow with what fanfare and celebration they could muster. The scouts were sent in, continually expecting resistance and a return to conflicts. But their expectations were not fulfilled. No soldiers stood at the ready to repel them. Also no crops in the granaries. No livestock. No peasants. Some buildings had been burned. Others had their doors unhinged. Belongings were scattered, as though the populace had fled at a moment's notice.

Napoleon and his Generals lead the convoy in grim silence. The celebration songs falling silent on soldiers' lips.

_This is no victory,_  thought Lucy.  _This is a death trap._

Orders were given and camp was set. The officers took over the gracious buildings. Lucy thought one must be the Mayoral dwelling where the local  _Knyez_  would have slept. An inn and related barns were turned into the infirmary. Lucy and Emma were given the relative luxury of one of the inn rooms to use.

"Well, I'm unpacked," Emma said, placing her gloves on the mantle piece above the empty fireplace grate.

"It's amazing how quickly one's standards change. If I'd checked into this hotel last week, I'd have asked for another room." Lucy sat gingerly on the single bed that sat in the center of the room. It creaked. The mattress was straw. The blankets were threadbare. "Today, this looks like 5 stars."

* * *

It had been days now since Emma nursed Lucy back to health. The tension and enmity between them had evaporated. Lucy no longer feared Emma would disappear in the night. They shared their food, water, warmth. No bones were made about night time temperatures any more. Each night they crawled, exhausted and drooping, beneath the shared covers they had cobbled together. That bubble of warmth and wordless intimacy was the high-point of Lucy's day. Emma made no comment but every so often Lucy thought she saw a look of relaxation or pleasure on the other woman's face.

Still, although Lucy trusted Emma's dependability as a compatriot in their daily struggles, she had no idea what Emma's plans were. During the first onslaught of their work and during her illness Lucy had had no time for idle chat of such things as the future or getting home. And now, as their work settled into a tedium, she hesitated from asking. Not wanting to unbalance the fragile detente which had grown.

The day swam by. Lucy felt like she was drowning. She was back at work, pretending she'd she'd never been ill. The tension between them and their captors continued to linger around their outlandish techniques: swabbing wounds with alcohol, boiling equipment. They struggled with the cost of not using their modern knowledge of hygiene. The alternative was too stark, seen in the many men they were not able to service. Putrescent flesh, rank gangrene. The reek of the charnel pit behind the infirmary. The smells clung to them day and night.

Their strategy now was to attribute the relative health of the young men in their care to the acumen of the doctors. Emma had perfected this technique.

" _Mais oui, Monsieur._  We have followed your directions to the letter. He has been bled multiple times." They had most definitely not bled the 16 year old in question. "His humors are balancing. Your insights were profound." After pricking the young man's wrist they would fake the bloodletting, but not make him suffer that loss.

During a breather, Lucy took a bucket and tried to scrub some of the stink out of her hair. Emma washing her hands in the hot water, stood by shaking her head.

"You'll never get it out. You know that, right Preston?"

Lucy had squirreled away a nub of soap from the reticule of some gentlemen who had expired. Before this jump Lucy would never have imagined herself ransacking a dead man's things. Now, in this atmosphere, she had no energy reserves left for prudishness or sentimentality of that type. The Lieutenant had been carted off to join the ranks of men he'd consigned to the heap. If his soap could afford Lucy some small moment of peace or relief amongst the nightmare, she saw no reason to flinch. They had scavenged clothes from the dead, including a cloak for Emma.

"I swear, if we ever get back home I am shaving my head." Taking a deep breath Lucy plunged her head into a bucket of rapidly cooling water. She came up sputtering and off balance, still not at full strength and exhausted from the day. Emma reached an easy arm over and steadied her. Lucy dragged her hair out of her face, splattering water everywhere. Emma jumped back to avoid the spray, then leaned in again, lending warmth and strength to Lucy's frame.

"Are you part Spaniel?" Emma joked, a rare smile softening her face.

"You calling me a bitch?" Lucy shot back, starting to shiver as a draft caught her now sodden shoulders.

Emma draped a cloth over Lucy's back and leaned closer, giving Lucy's hair an inquisitive sniff. "Lavender? Nice job. I mostly can't smell the human suffering."

"Glad you approve," Lucy said, wrinkling her nose at Emma but grateful for the cloth. She absently missed Emma's warm touch as she dried her hair.

"Good thing, too." Emma glanced back at Lucy as she walked back to the infirmary floor. "Would be a crying shame to shave off that lovely hair."

Lucy stopped in place, staring after Emma. Then she shook her head and headed back into the fray, leaving her whirling thoughts for later.

* * *

Rufus held the oil lamp as still as he could. Wyatt used the butt of his musket as a make-shift desk to forge the papers they hoped would spell freedom for Lucy.

"Don't spill it! I'm almost done."

"I am holding still. It's ridiculous that you're trying to write on that small stock."

"If you've got a desk under your jacket, by all means let me know!" Wyatt's nerves were frayed. They had hoped to be able to contact Lucy once the army reached Moscow. But the number of soldiers and doctors present meant that if they were seen speaking with the women, Rufus and Wyatt would fall under suspicion themselves. Or worse alert Emma's crew to their presence if they had made it through the battle. They would have to wait to make contact until they were sure they could get them released. Which meant that Lucy had no idea they knew where she was, or whether they could help her. Or even if they were alive.

After a number of rebuffs, Rufus had given up trying to comfort Wyatt. He focused instead on accomplishing their goal. Anything to get them closer to escaping this rapidly deteriorating hell hole of a time period.

Despite risking discovery, Rufus had used the same slop-water relief gambit that had contributed to getting Emma (and unfortunately Lucy as well) imprisoned. Choosing his moment wisely he was able to "liberate" paper and ink. In a stroke of luck one of the papers he stole as an example of lettering to assist in their forging efforts would serve as a model in more than penmanship. They had only basics of French, drilled in them by Lucy before the mission, but they could tell it was a letter from landed gentry commanding the Emperor to release a presumably beloved nephew from service.

"Fat chance he got out," said Rufus. He gestured out in the direction the road lead back to Borodino. "Good chance he's classing up some ditch along the way."

They had thought carefully to determine who would be the officer whose signature would most likely pave the way for the women to be freed. Montbrun might recognize Rufus. They'd chosen Murat. As a brother-in-law, his close connection to Napoleon and the high opinion of the troops meant that his word might be unquestioned where others would be scrutinized.

Joachim Murat spent much of his day with the troops, trying to keep up morale and organizing searches for food and supplies. They searched now for all they could find, all they could carry. The orders were to secure the city, but not to remain. The army now must race winter back to France and home. So the soldiers searched for food for the journey. This consisted of ransacking what remained of the town.

They made their way to the rally point for supply units. They attached themselves to Murat's unit and worked through the day. Rufus realized that one enterprising family had caused a cave-in beneath their house to hide their root cellar. After half an hour of digging, Wyatt, Rufus and two other men broke through and were able to bring back a nice haul. There was even a small cache of brandy. The men surreptitiously divided this booty amongst themselves, using mime and pidgin French to communicate across the language divide. The two Frenchmen were in fine spirits after this, hauling the potatoes and turnips back with a will. Rufus and Wyatt celebrated along with them but in muttered voices regretted the loss for this family that would surely go hungry now.

"For darn sure they would have probably anyway. The scorched earth policy might kill Frenchmen—"

Rufus interjected, "And Austrians, and Prussians, and a couple thousand Irishmen for some god-forsaken reason."

Wyatt nodded. "But it's brutal to the people here. They have to live through the winter, too."

They'd joined the line of men bringing supplies back to the camps. Once they arrived, they clumped with others around fires set in stone rings. The finds had been good today, so some voices were raised in song. Precious bottles made their rounds. A few officers shared the warmth of the fire with the men, including Murat who congratulated his men. Rufus and Wyatt made their way over to him, Murat's bright jacket standing out in the night and light gleaming from his gold braid.

"To the Emperor!" Rufus called out. The men cheered. "To our General!" he said, and toasted Murat who held his hand up to hail the men. Wyatt took this opportunity to hand Murat his share of the booty from the day, a full bottle of brandy that they'd commandeered. Using Rufus' bottle to keep the toasts flying (while they merely pretended to take swigs themselves), Rufus and Wyatt raised the troops spirits and encouraged the General to drink most of the bottle himself. Late in the night, when things were breaking up, they offered a helping hand to get him back to his tent.

"You really are the nicest fellows. You—your French is terrible, where did you say you were from again?"

"Egypt."

"Fantastic! You've got to tell me all about the Pyramids. We stayed for far too short of a time."

"Of course, sir. We can finish this bottle together and I'll tell you all I know."

Wyatt, propping up the General from the other side, piped up. He asked in German, "Your excellency, we wonder if you would help us. The parents of a friend of ours has requested he be released from service. His oldest brother has died and they need him to be there for the family. Might we ask a little favor..."

The drunken general clapped them both around the shoulders. He was a tall, stocky man and they both staggered under this weight. But his laugh rang out and he answered in the affirmative. "Of course. We'll soon be leaving here and chances are good we will all be returning home. Why not chase your friend off a little early."

Rufus and Wyatt shot each other looks. Rufus was uneasy. He rolled his eyes in disbelief that it could be that simple. Wyatt on the other hand was grinning.  _Finally. Lucy, we're coming for you._

* * *

The camp was full of life tonight. Lucy looked out at the rows of tents and saw fires ringed by men. She thought she could smell the smoke, until she realized that the scent was not musky wood smoke, but the dark, bitter smell of a cigar. Turning from the window she saw Emma clamping her teeth down on a tightly wound chocolate brown cigar. The burning end shone bright orange as she inhaled. Breathing out moments later, she wreathed her head in smoke.

"Where did you get that?"

"Well, we can't all smell like lavender. That gentlemen had no need of these either."

Lucy pulled her own hair down across her face and breathed deeply in the perfumed scent. She sighed out a deep "ahhh..." of satisfaction. Then she peeped out through her dark locks and gave an impish smile to Emma. "I'd better enjoy it. With you smoking like a chimney I'll soon smell like ash instead of flowers." Emma looked back at her enigmatically.

Turning away, Lucy leaned against the window frame. She heard the sound of voices raised in happy tones. "Wait..."  _I could swear that was Rufus._ Falling back to her old suspicion, Lucy held her tongue and mentioned nothing to Emma.  _Might have been my imagination anyway._  But she held that hope close to her heart.

Emma walked near to her, considerately blowing smoke in the opposite direction. She took the cigar in her hand and offered it to Lucy. "They are celebrating. Perhaps they are ready to leave now? We should celebrate, too."

Lucy looked expectantly waiting for Emma to explain, then saw a half-smile flirting around Emma's mouth. Lucy nodded and smiled in return. What happiness had they had? What could they look forward to? Spontaneously, Lucy reached out and took the cigar, her fingers closing around Emma's hand briefly.

Emma's smile deepened. Then turned into an outright laugh as Lucy inhaled deeply but choked and coughed. She breathed out all the smoke right into Emma's face. Emma waved her hands and turned her head away.

"Not so easy is it?" Emma stepped close, reaching out to Lucy's face to pluck the cigar directly from her mouth. Lucy gripped it awkwardly in her teeth, and Emma steadied herself by placing a light hand on Lucy's shoulder. They had an odd tug of war for a moment until Lucy breathed in smoke again, gagged and realized that she most definitely did not want this cigar in her mouth. She laughed and put her hands out, touching Emma in a friendly way, until their gazes met and caught...

Emma's hand holding the cigar fell slowly to her side, and Lucy watched as the red-haired woman's lips made a leisurely journey close to her own. Lucy's thoughts seemed to stutter and fall silent, until Emma's lips were touching hers. Their hands clung. Emma's legs shifted to brace herself against Lucy. Emma's hand fell to touch Lucy's hip. Heat flamed inside Lucy. A thrill of gooseflesh ran down her back and up her arms. Her breasts felt tender, her mouth dry.

The kiss ended. Emma pulled away. She brought the cigar to her mouth and quirked an eyebrow at Lucy. Lucy stood still. Stunned by what had passed between them and unsure where this landed her. In the sea of uncertainty she floundered in, this was but one more wave. But what a wave.

"We should get some shut eye," said Emma. She pulled her clothes off, digging her way under the covers in their shared bed. Lucy had been used to and undaunted by the arrangement before this. Suddenly she felt her legs tremble. She turned away to pull off her dress, placed her clothes under the covers, and slowly climbed in.

They lay side by side, awkwardly for several moments. Then Emma reached over and took one of Lucy's hands. Lucy tensed at first, then calmed and breathed deeper. Her mood eased.

"Good night, Lucy."

"Good night, Emma."


	6. Chapter 6

Lucy and Emma held hands through the night. As she tried to rest, the weight of the historical record pressed on Lucy's mind. If they were not able to detach themselves from the troops, the hunger and relentless pressure of winter would certainly end them. She slept fitfully and woke up anxious. The celebrations of the night before told her their time in Moscow was running out. And as with the rest of this journey, she could only imagine that this terrible time would soon seem a happy memory compared to the increasingly harsh deprivations they suffered.

If only she could have some sense of whether the others even knew where she was. Emma's presence had become a comfort, which in itself was troubling. And that kiss the night before.  _What did that mean?_  Lucy lay unsleeping in the morning darkness lying beside the other woman. She thought, too, of the kiss Wyatt gave her and his words before they parted. She clung to having seen him that last morning at Borodino.  _He's alive. Rufus is with him._  She prayed for both their lives, and for mercy in the Universe that might let her see them both again.

The sky was just starting to lighten. Instead of getting up, Lucy took a precious moment and moved closer to the warmth of the other woman beside her. Emma's eyes opened. She smiled at Lucy and despite the chill, Lucy felt a thrill of heat run through her.

In her hand, Emma's fingers tightened. Her thumb rubbed across the tender skin on Lucy's hand. Lucy felt the raw flesh, the hardened callouses that had formed from the labor of moving patients, cleaning and hauling they'd learned to accommodate over the last week. She squeezed Emma's hand and impulsively bowed her head to kiss it. The other woman put her hand tentatively on Lucy's dark head. Lucy felt fingers lightly run through her hair. She tilted her head and put her chin on Emma's shoulder. She saw red hairs flutter as she breathed. Looking up, she found Emma's eyes on hers with an intense expression.  _Almost like when she..._ And then she felt warm lips touch hers.

Lucy reveled in the feel of Emma. The cocoon of warmth they had created sheltered them from the blistering cold, as well as the truth of the endless task before them, the uncertainty of their survival, their isolation. Emma's lips were velvety; the warm length of her neck like silk. Emma's hand caressed Lucy's hair with leisurely strokes. Lucy's hand on Emma's waist slipped down her hip, fingers digging in as Emma's tongue darted against her lips. Emma slid her arm around Lucy, pulling her close as their kisses deepened.

The world fell away. Lucy saw an image of green and sunlight and remembered her dream about Emma. She blushed realizing her subconscious mind knew she had wanted this before she even did. Lucy felt Emma's mouth greedily spread kisses down her neck. She felt her dress part and moaned at the touch of Emma's hand on her breast. Emma's mouth followed, tongue teasing her nipple. Lucy dragged her hands through Emma's hair, wanting more contact, wanting more, when she felt Emma's leg part her own. Lucy arched into the pressure, her hands roving on Emma, seeking skin. She slid her hand inside Emma's shift, tracing the curves of her breast. She squeezed firmly and was rewarded with a gasp. Emma rolled her weight off of Lucy, her face seeking hers again, blindly it seemed. Her hand tugging at the hem of Lucy's garment, teasing it up, almost reaching—

A knock interrupted them. They separated, hands parting from skin reluctantly. In the aftermath, Lucy blinked, stunned by what had happened. Emma gave a look of anger at the interruption. Then she gazed at Lucy, taking in the excited state she had left her in. Emma's face settled into a smug, satisfied smile as she straightened her clothes and answered the attendant who called them to work.

Pulling the blanket down, Lucy shivered. The sky was brightening. They were expected to start work. Lucy pulled her clothes from beneath their sleeping roll. Pre-warmed it took the shock out of dressing. She looked down at her buttons and saw ginger hands take over for her. Emma's face was now calm and unsmiling, but her eyes were warm. Lucy's hands shook slightly as she let the other woman attend to her. When she had finished Emma asked Lucy to help her with clasps she could not reach. The sprinkle of freckles on Emma's back burned into Lucy's memory.

Emma gave Lucy one lingering kiss before they left the room. Lucy's mind raced as she worked, trying to make sense of this new situation.

* * *

Rufus and Wyatt got up early, before the reveille was sounded and snuck towards the infirmary. Now that they had the formal request for release, it was time for them to act.

"None too soon. Things are going to heck in a handbasket after this from what Lucy said. Time to get out." said Rufus.

Wyatt shook his head. "We're not there yet. Not until we've got her freed. And then we still have to get back to the Lifeboat quickly somehow."

"It's such a shame we weren't able to capture the Mothership." Rufus slowed his steps and said, "Say, what are we going to do about Emma?"

Wyatt gave a grim look. "Our orders for her are the same as for Flynn. We have to be on the lookout for Karl and the others as well."

Rufus shook his head. "We haven't seen them since the Battle of Borodino. I'm sure they didn't follow along."

"Even if they didn't they are as stranded without Emma as we would be without you, Rufus."

"Darn tootin. Remember that when you think about who to save next time, flyboy."

"Flyboy?! That is so not accurate." Rufus was grinning. "Oh, you're teasing me about that kiss again, aren't you?" Wyatt rolled his eyes. "Did Lucy or I make this kind of fuss when you and Jiya got together?"

"I don't know...but oh, didn't someone once say, 'I've got eyes don't I?' Can't help what I see. And aren't you military types all about 'if you see something, say something.'"

"Again, inaccurate. That's more like the Transportation Security Authority. But we are way off base here. You asked about Emma. If she's a danger. I'll kill her. That is the mission."

"Isn't it kind of rude to rescue someone only to kill them?" Wyatt gave Rufus a sour look.

Rufus shrugged. He held his rifle tighter to him. He was glad that wasn't his job.

* * *

Hours later Lucy wrung out a rag into a basin. The man whose wounds she had bound rested more easily but she didn't like the look of his puckering flesh. The endless parade of wounds, some fresh, some gangrenous, had worn away her squeamishness about blood. No room for such foolishness here.

Lucy picked up the basin, bringing it to the window out of which they threw the slops. The water was frozen before it hit the ground. She reached out to fill the bucket with snow. In the moments she was exposed to the outside, the wind plucked the warmth out of her body like a child blowing on a dandelion. She flashed back to the morning and felt yearning for that warmth and ecstasy which was cut so short. Then she shook her head in disbelief.  _Emma? Really?_ She clasped her cloak around her tighter and made her way to the fire. It smoked from the frozen clods of horse manure they'd begun feeding to it.  _Food, fuel running short._   _Once that is gone, water too if we can't melt the snow,_ Lucy thought despairing. _This war gets so much worse, but I think she and I are close to the end right now._

As she poured the bucket of snow to melt and warm in the cauldron over the fire, Lucy heard male voices raised. She glanced across the floor to Emma who met her gaze. Words came clear. Rufus speaking French?

"This is from General Murat."

"They were imprisoned by the Emperor himself."

"And now his brother-in-law says to release them."

"Impossible."

Then, a voice speaking German: "We'll show you impossible."

_Wyatt._ Lucy's head snapped around. She rose and strode towards them before she realized what she was doing. When she passed Emma, the older woman stepped in her path.

"Don't." Emma spoke quietly and firmly.

"They're here—I have to see them." Emma shook her head grimly.

The voices began barking orders. Lucy heard "Seize them!" Sounds of a scuffle, and some grunts of pain. Lucy took a breath to call out, but found Emma's hand on her mouth.

"Shhh...don't call attention to us." When Lucy nodded, Emma calmly picked up an ewer full of murksome water. She then made her way over to one of the surgeon's stations while everyone was distracted by the fight happening in the foyer. Emma picked up a scalpel. Lucy's eyes widened. She found her way to their cloaks and grabbed a wine skin they'd used to give water to the soldiers. Bracing herself for escape, Lucy made her way towards the disturbance in Emma's wake.

Despite the danger of the sight that greeted them, it warmed Lucy's heart. Rufus and Wyatt stood back to back. Two soldiers lay on the ground, and one with a Captain's decorations was staggering from a blow obviously just delivered by Wyatt. Rufus swung a bayonet keeping two men at distance.

Emma mimed being surprised as she stumbled out into this ongoing fight. One of the soldiers started yelling at her and Lucy to get back. He came close to Emma, pointing toward the infirmary. Her surprised and innocent expression never changed as she shoved the scalpel deep into the man's abdomen. He faltered, putting his hands on the wound, then he started screaming. Emma shoved him down and out of the way, and tossed the full ewer of slimy, blood-colored slop water on the other men. They spat and swore, distracted.

Lucy could wait no more. "Wyatt! Rufus! Emma!" The wounded Captain started calling for the men to shoot her team mates. As the soldiers scrambled to wipe clean their eyes and get their powder and ammunition set, she pulled wide the door to the infirmary. "Get in here."

"Lucy!" Rufus yelled to her, a huge smile crossing his face. She grabbed his hand and tugged him towards her. He squeezed her hand and said, "You're a sight for sore eyes." Emma backed towards the door quickly, keeping her eyes on the French soldiers. Wyatt held his ground longest, knocking the gun out of the hands of the soldier closest to firing. He leapt toward the door, closing it behind them, bracing it shut with a small table from nearby.

Lucy heard the Captain call out, "Stop, don't shoot!" She yelled, "Get down!" Then she flung herself on the ground as shots rang out anyway. She felt a warm, familiar, heavy male body cover hers. Wyatt said angrily in her ear, "What are they thinking? They'll kill their own men." In the infirmary, the doctors and other assistants ran away from the sounds of shooting. Soldiers on beds groaned, untended.

Wyatt got up quickly and helped Lucy stand, steadying her with his arm. She ended up half leaning against him, looking into his eyes. "Hell of a way to say you missed me," she quipped.

Emma barked, "Hey lovebirds, no time to drown in each other's eyes." Rufus looked at the red haired woman and did a double take at the intense stare she was giving Lucy. Lucy blushed crimson. Wyatt smiled at Lucy, not aware of the new layer of confusion that filled Lucy's heart.

Rufus shook his head worriedly but simply asked, "Where's the exit?"

Emma gestured towards the back corner. It took a moment for Lucy to realize she was pointing to the set of windows they tossed the dirty water out of. She grabbed Wyatt's hand and ran down the aisle following the red-headed woman. Rufus followed them. When they reached it, Wyatt took his rifle and made short work of the narrow frames of glass. He created an opening they could fit through, though jagged teeth of glass shards remained. Lucy grabbed a spare sheet and she and Rufus placed it along the lower rim of the window. No sooner had they done so but Emma scrambled up and out the window. Lucy shouted after her, "Emma, your cloak!"

Both Emma and Wyatt's head snapped around to look at Lucy in unison. Lucy tossed the garment to the woman through the window, and struggled into her own. Rufus climbed gingerly through the opening as Wyatt helped wrap her cloak around Lucy. Wyatt shook his head at her with an unvoiced question on his lips. Lucy shrugged slightly. "She saved my life." Wyatt nodded and put his hands on Lucy's waist. He half-helped, half-tossed her out of the window and leapt through neatly after her.

* * *

Rufus and Wyatt lead the way out of the camp. They raced through the cityscape dodging from cover to cover. They caught up Lucy in rushed whispers during brief rests. They tried to speak too quietly for Emma to hear, but Lucy thought she saw Emma perk up at the word tricorder when they discussed the search for the Mother Ship. Wyatt kept by Lucy's side, a steadying arm holding her arm, at her waist as needed. Lucy's heart pounded. Her eyes followed Emma's movements. Her hand clung to Wyatt when he was near.

The call had gone out and soldiers were searching for them. One man stumbled upon them as they stood waiting in a woodshed until they could slip unseen to the next alleyway. As Wyatt struggled to load his pistol to shoot him, Emma put up her hands and let the soldier pass. Once he had gone by her, she grabbed a hunk of firewood and sent the man sprawling with a blow to the head.

"You've got to give me a gun," Emma hissed.

Wyatt gave a sharp whispered, "No!" They glared at one another.

"Wyatt," Lucy said, "She's been helping me. We know we need to help each other to get out. I think you may be able to trust her." Lucy put her hand on Wyatt's arm. She realized she was trembling.

Rufus spoke up quietly, "Lucy, I don't know what you've been through, but she's got her own agenda. She's tried to kill us all."

Wyatt kept his eyes on Emma. "We can't trust her. Whatever she's said to you, whatever she's done, it's a trick."

Lucy inhaled sharply. Her stomach turned and she felt as though she had been punched though no one had touched her. Rufus, his eyes on Lucy, put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a concerned look. "Are you all right?" Lucy nodded, her eyes slipping to Emma's. Emma was still deadlocked with Wyatt, but at Lucy's inhale her attention was diverted. She met Lucy's eyes and shook her head slightly.

Rufus took this all in, and put his arm around Lucy. "Emma, you've helped Lucy and we're grateful. But you can't push it. You're still the enemy. Lucy seems to trust you. If you want us to trust you too, you've got to prove yourself to us as well."

She nodded. "It's a mistake to leave me unarmed, but I understand." She looked around for a better weapon and picked up a log hook hanging from the firewood bin. She looked at Wyatt and said sarcastically, "If you'll allow me. " He frowned, but nodded. She went on, "Let's make time while we can."

* * *

They traveled slowly and cautiously through the city, then sped as quickly as their legs would take them once they got into open country. Wyatt took them on a path parallel to the road, seeking to avoid pursuit. He kept close to Lucy's side, his eyes on Emma at all times. Every so often they thought they saw or heard someone behind them, but they never could tell for sure. When night came and they sought shelter, tensions flared again in the small band.

Wyatt, Rufus and Lucy gathered for a small conference at their cold, comfortless camp. Emma sorted provisions for their meal.

"She shouldn't be touching the food," Wyatt couldn't help saying.

"What, is she going to poison us? With what?" Lucy said.

Wyatt gave Lucy a stern look as he replied to her. "Any number of things, in fact, I'm going to cut in right now..." He strode over to Emma and took the food away from her. Voices raised became tense and hushed a moment later.

Rufus shook his head. "This is not going to work. Lucy, what kind of deal did you make with her?"

"We, just had to rely on one another. We got to know each other. We got..close," Lucy blushed. She was grateful for the dim light, hoping Rufus could not see her face well, but he looked at her closely.

He leaned in to say quietly and urgently, "Lucy, I don't know what's going on, and I suspect I really don't want to know. Didn't you just get together with Wyatt?"

Lucy gave Rufus a bleak look. "The past few days are the worst I've ever seen. She nursed me when I was sick. I didn't know if I would ever see you two, or anyone, again."

"That might mean that she's preying on your vulnerability."

Wyatt came back over to them. "I'm going to tie her up. She's not reasonable." Lucy looked at Emma, her face showing affection and concern. Wyatt's face shut down as he watched the emotions play across Lucy's face. "She's dangerous."

Rufus spoke intently, seeking both of his team mates' attention. "Look. This is an intense time. Wyatt, Lucy was just telling me that Emma saved her life when she was sick. We have no idea what they've been through. It makes sense that Lucy has learned to trust Emma." Lucy nodded, Wyatt frowned. Rufus turned to Lucy, "But Lucy, Wyatt is right, Emma is as dangerous as they come. And we still have no idea where Karl and the others are. We have to handle her carefully."

Suddenly, they all smelled something. Turning back to Emma, the saw she had used flint from Wyatt's pack to set tinder alight. Flames leapt cheerfully from a small triangle of wood she had placed on packed snow in the midst of the clearing where they aimed to spend the night. She fed the flame small twigs.

"No!" Wyatt rushed towards her and kicked the fire to pieces. Lucy and Rufus came quickly, helping to stomp out sparks and errant flames so they would not catch their belongings on fire. As they did so, they heard footsteps rush toward them. Swiftly grabbing their things, the team tried to race away. Wyatt dragged a reluctant Emma behind him for a change of pace. She struggled with him a moment, grabbing him as if to wrestle, then let go and tugged trying to free herself again. Lucy saw something in her hand and pieces clicked together in her head. "Wyatt! She's got the tricorder." He lunged for the object, they struggled, pulling it between them and the delicate machine snapped.

Rufus cried, "No!" Pieces dropped in the snow.

At that moment, faces appeared in the woods behind them. Lucy, looking back recognized Karl. "Wyatt! It's Emma's men!" She shouted.

Emma taking this cue dropped to the ground. She used her weight to unbalance Wyatt and broke his grip on her arm. He fell, slipping in the snow. A shot rang out. Lucy and Rufus dodged behind trees. Rufus yelled, "Wyatt, look out!"

Two men broke from the trees: Karl and another man that Lucy had never seen before. Karl who had fired, raced to Emma's side. The other man took aim at Wyatt. Lucy hefted the pistol she'd been given and fired at the stranger. He went down in the snow. She saw no blood in the darkness, only shadows. Karl helped Emma up and they scrambled back in the direction from which he had come. They spared no glance backwards as they ran.

* * *

Wyatt, Lucy and Rufus gathered themselves after Emma and Karl disappeared. They collected the shattered tricorder. Wordlessly they stripped the dead man of weapons and provisions, and Wyatt lead them towards the road. They would risk night patrols rather than be vulnerable to attack again by Emma.

Lucy was silent and shell-shocked. Rufus and Wyatt talked quietly with her. Rufus spoke about his feelings when he had killed that man at NASA. Wyatt about how brave she had been, and how glad he felt that she was safe. She nodded tearfullly, but couldn't answer either of them. When they did take shelter, Wyatt wrapped himself around Lucy unashamedly trying to keep her as warm and safe as he could. She clung to him.

When they walked on after their rest, Lucy said to Rufus, "I was a fool, wasn't I?"

"Hey, go easy on yourself. Snakes bite. It's what they do."

"Next time I think I should trust a snake. I'll ask you to remind me of that."

As they headed towards the Lifeboat, Lucy put her hand in a pocket of her cloak. There she found a fan. It was Emma's. She took it out, opening the pale blue thing now stained with blood and sweat. She had never touched it before, much less put it in her pocket. Emma must have put it there sometime before she escaped them.

Lucy closed the fan, put it back in her pocket and walked on.


End file.
